When you’re out picking your pumpkins for Halloween, don’t just think about carving that Jack O’Lantern! Think about eating the delicious and nutritious pumpkin purée and seeds.
How to pick the best pumpkin for cooking
Look for smaller, sugar pumpkin varieties. These are the best for making purée out of and tend to be the sweetest.
The pumpkin purée is great for making pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, and more! Use the pumpkin seeds as a salty snacks topping for soups and stews, in salads, or on top of your fruit parfait.
How to make pumpkin purée
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Cut a sugar pumpkin in half, stem to base. Remove seeds and pulp.
- Cover the cut side of each half with foil. Place each half on a baking sheet.
- Bake foil side up for 1 hour or until tender.
- Scrape the roasted pumpkin flesh from halves and purée in a food processor or blender.
- Use a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth to strain to remove stringy pieces.
- Use the pumpkin purée in recipes or store in the freezer in freezer safe bags.
Pumpkin is low in calories, low in fat, packed with fiber and high in Vitamin A.
How to roast pumpkin seeds
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Separate the seeds of a carved pumpkin from the stringy membrane and rinse the seeds to remove remaining membrane. Place seeds on a paper towel to dry for 20 minutes.
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place the seeds in a single layer on the baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool and enjoy.
- Store extra seeds in an airtight container.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are also know as pepitas and are packed with iron, zinc and healthy fats.
